Your house. Per Martha Stewart:

Whenever you need to clean suede, start by going over the material with a nylon-bristle brush, which you can find at hardware stores and shoe shops. Suede is fairly delicate, so apply very light pressure.

If stains persist after brushing, you often can remove them with a rubber eraser designed specifically for the fabric; they're sometimes referred to as suede stones. You might even have luck with a clean pencil eraser.

Another alternative is to dab the stain with a soft white cloth and a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Test the solution in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won't discolor the fabric. Again, do not apply a lot of pressure. Once the item is clean, spray it with a professional suede protector that does not contain silicone.

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If that doesn't work or if you just don't wanna, apparent GLO Cleaners in Lake City is the shiznit. I don't know how cheap they are, but one item, even suede, isn't gonna break the bank, and if you really care about it, what's $5 this way or that?

Not repaired, but if the shoe's black you can color in the spot with a black Sharpie and it does a surprisingly good job of camouflaging it.

I've done it for coats that I own. It's a pain in the ass, but very doable. You might be able to bring the price of the work down by buying the fabric ahead of time and taking it to the shop where you get the work done.

Also, if you buy the fabric yourself, you can ensure that it's sturdy enough to stand the test of time. If you're here in Seattle, you should call up Nancy's Sewing basket up on Queen Anne and ask them what they've got -- you should look for a silk or a heavy satin. There are cheaper light-weight lining fabrics out there, but those will shred within a year of wearing the coat. The people at Nancy's know their stuff and will steer you right. If you take in the coat with you, they can give you guidance on the length to buy, too -- expect somewhere between 2-3 yards.

Finally -- whatever fabric you choose, don't expect the lining to last forever. Good (expensive) coats are made in such a way that the lining can easily be replaced, as they are expected to wear out after a certain amount of time.

Sure. I have a leather jacket which I had re-lined and re-pocketed. I can't remember exactly how much I paid, but I think it was about $40 or $50 bucks- totally worth it.

I went to Adam Tailor, who runs a one-man shop on Jackson in Pioneer Square. He does good work for very reasonable prices, which also makes him very popular. Don't expect a two-day turnaround.

Oooh! There's a place on the top of Queen Anne that does exactly this. Rhinestone Rosie -- they specialize in repairing antique and vintage jewelry, and also have lots of the stuff for sale, too. Awesome.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/rhinestone-rosie-seattle

A quick remedy is to sprinkle some baking soda in there and leave it for a couple of days, and to wipe it out with a wash cloth dipped in hydrogen peroxide if you have it or really hot soapy water if you don't. It won't kill the bacteria like some of the other answers, but it should get some of the stink out, just make sure to dry them really good before you wear them again.

Try bead stores. They have the parts there and might do it for you. I know there is a bead store on cap hill between Hanna and chase and one on Leary way near the Ballard bridge. It's probably going to be way cheaper than having a jeweler do it

I'm not sure if this would work on your leather boots, but I've used 'pure ayre' odor eliminator spray on some sneakers and it helped with the odor. I got a small bottle at Super Supplements, about $4 I think. Saturate (but don't soak) the whole interior of the shoe, then let air dry for about a day. I'd try kitchensync's suggestion first, then look for the pure ayre if that doesn't work.

Along the lines of eliminating bacteria and fungus that find damp areas (from sweat, etc.) a prime place to grow is to find a way to dry the interior of the boots, presumably without adversely affecting the leather itself (exposure time to the drying process may be the critical factor here).

There are also shoe trees that integrate a UV lamp to kill off these microorganisms (same as those lamps used in water filtration and humidifiers, etc.). They are pricey but the bulbs are not that expensive. If you were handy with putting together a cord and appropriate socket you could make up a lamp on a cord to put down in the boot that would do the same thing without the fancy shoe tree structure.

Remember you want to plug the top of the boot so no one is exposed to the UV light for any length of time.

Here is the product: SteriShoe

The lamps that would work in this kind of device and method would be GTL3 bulbs. You can buy them for a few bucks via various sources including Ebay. (Remember not to expose your eyes to the light of these lamps.)

I would figure out what the exposure length is for the manufactured device and plug the lamps into a simple timer (like you use when you want your lights to go on and off when you are away and set it for that.

Obviously, not knowing your level of experience or ability in putting something like this together, you do this at your own risk.

You need to kill the bacterial flora living in your boots for them to stop stinking. Try rinsing them out with a little alcohol and then sticking them in the freezer for a few days.

Just be sure to stick them in a bag so that your frozen foods don't take on the taste of stankboot.

Emerald City Shoe repair on 3rd and Union does great work

Get thee to Swanson's Shoe Repair on 45th in Wallingford. I have yet to ask for a shoe mod that they haven't done a bajillion times, including all kinds of shit to accommodate my robust lady calves.

The shop that Nordstrom sends their repairs to does good work putting in elastic panels in zippered boots, so I think they could likely do the zippers. Call the shoe department at Store #1 and ask.

Are you talking about the original pin-up style, or the revivals of it? The original pin-ups were a feature of WWII, as pictures for soldiers to literally pin up in their barracks. Do an image search for "Betty Grable" to see what I mean. The photograph of her from behind looking back over her shoulder is THE iconic pin-up shot.

In the postwar period the returning GIs fostered a relaxed sexual code in a racier, go-go Googie atmosphere of new wealth and leisure that made female nudity more acceptable, not to mention the numerous obscenity court cases of the time that changed what was allowable to print, and the pin-ups got sexier. The exemplar here is the famous picture of Marilyn Monroe naked on a red backdrop that appeared in the first issue of Playboy in 1953. There were loads of "skin mags" before Playboy but they were sleazy and not stocked by reputable newsagents, or if they were it was strictly under the counter.

The advent of actual nude photographs being available to men pretty much killed off the more modest pin-ups. I would place the classic pin-up era between those two times, say 1942-1954. There were (and are) still pin-ups, on things like tool company calendars, but the style of the things gradually devolved from "pretty girl next door in a cute outfit" to "oiled-up porn star pretending to fellate a wrench".

You could include in the intermediary time such iconic images as the perky poster of Farrah Fawcett that did, in fact, once hang over almost every teenage boy's bed in the 70s. And there are antecedents too, like the "Gibson Girls" going back to the 1890s in their smokin' hott floor-length dresses with big bustles. Whew! But the real classic period is mid-forties to mid-fifties, with the look progressing from Betty Grable's swimsuit to Bettie Page's hairstyle, which has become an icon all its own. Bettie Page was a classic pinup model in addition to her kinkier nudes and spanking pics.

If you're talking about revivals, the first one was in the late-70s-early 80s, roughly coexistent with the spread of punk rock to the suburbs, and the rise of neo-rockabilly. For a while there all the girls wanted to look like Bettie Page (the Grable look has never really been revived, though it ought to be), and all the boys wanted to look like Robert Gordon. Since then, there have been so many retro styles colliding with each other all at the same time you really can't pin a year on it. I see Bettie Pages walking around all the time even today. Walk into a tattoo shop! Although they're more likely to be wearing cowboy boots now.

The problem here is that there isn't just one "retro pin-up style".

What sorts of cheesecake are you thinking of?

Early/mid 40s through the early 60s with the late 40s and early 50s being the most popular I think.

I don't think the current style is based on a particular year. Most of it is inspired primarily by the mid to late 1950s with influences from the 40s and occasionally the 30s. Though the "pin up" was popular through many decades in both photography and illustration, it's rare to see girls today drawing inspiration from the turn of the century and the twenties.

Try brushing the bald spot with an old dry toothbrush, to see if you can bring up any nap. If not, I suspect the are bald forever...

Any good jeweler should be able to do this for a relatively inexpensive price if the ring is not too ornate. My best guess would be a $100.00 maximum if the ring does not contain a lot of filigree.

I would recommend having it looked at by L/T Denny or Greenlake jewelry to get a reasonable idea of cost, and the work they do is excellent.

National Drycleaners- 206 789 0584
tell them Cicada sent you- they clean all of our gowns.

Alterations-
Heather Culver- 206- 721-7740
She used to work in our shop, and is a terrific seamstress and nice person.

The plain truth, as you stated, is that benzoyl peroxide is a powerful bleaching agent. It is used in stronger concentrations for bleaching hair and teeth.

This chemical appears to have observable permanent effects on most common dyes used for clothing fabrics. The bleaching effect of benzoyl peroxide has been a problem for carpet manufacturers and that industry has worked to come up with ways to limit its effect when transfered from hands or secondarily from contaminated clothing, etc.

People who use benzoyl peroxide on larger body surfaces (chest or back) usually have to resort to wearing white clothing or using a white undershirt. The chemical can have bleaching effect even when the exposure is secondary, that is if fabric comes into contact from a contaminated towel or other source that has transfered benzoyl peroxide from hands, face or body.

Advice on how to avoid bleaching your clothing is found here from www.acne.org

So, this isn't a good answer to your question as it seems most colored fabrics may be vulnerable.

As to salvaging a bleach damaged item, I suppose you could re-dye it a darker color. Most consumer dyes are probably just if not more susceptible to damage from the chemical in an additional exposure.

If the original fabric has a non-regular colored pattern or design the effects may be negligible or not as obvious.

Adam Tailoring & Alterations
206 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 621-1171 ‎

City Vacuum and Sewing Center.

Take it to CH Holderby.

http://www.chholderby.com/

They are wonderful. I have a 1950s Viking that I take there for service, and they do a really great job. They're affordable (service costs something like $70 plus parts, compared to the $200 plus that other sewing machine shops charge), they do all the work on-site, and they're used to dealing with old machines.

I saw a dog bed constructed with a side wall made from jean legs. The center cushion was made with contrasting fabric.

I made a skirt a while back from a pair of jeans where I'd worn holes in the crotch.

I used a seam-ripper, and pulled apart the inseam, just from the middle of the ass to the bottom of the zipper in front. I then put the jeans back on, and marked where the bottom of the skirt should be. I rejoined the open seams of the two legs where it made most sense for fit (doing the awkward thing where you stand in front of the mirror with a bunch of pins and try not to stab yourself in the leg). I also trimmed the frayed sections where necessary. And then, once the legs were joined together, I hemmed the bottom of the skirt. It looks great, fits great, and is super comfortable.

There's totally some TS makeover places in Seattle but as a rule any store or service selling "TS/TG" anything is selling seriously overpriced garbage and preying on men too full of shame to enter the womens section of a regular store, don't buy it.
Try Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Ross, and as Fnarf said Nordstrom Rack (NR especially for big shoes) maybe even a few of each as the selection changes from store to store (slightly) you might waste some time but you might also find the perfect thing for hella cheap- those stores are like the lottery for fat girls (and fat dudes dressing like girls).
If you have a little more money to spend try Torrid, the ladies working there are usually pretty cool and would probably love the novelty of helping a big guy out. Don't be shy, they probably even have a dress for you too or suggestions for where you can get what you need.
If you feel like you need some cushion for that pushin' try the bra making supply area of a Jo-ann's, they probs won't have any 'butt prosthetics' per say but a creative mind can do a lot with shoulder pads or bra pads of the right size at a reasonable price.

Hope you have a great time!

reusable toilet paper

If the jeans have no holes (or easily patched holes) in the torso-section you could turn them into a carrying bag.

Cut the legs off just below the crotch - try to do this evenly.. Sew the legs closed. Cut the least damaged leg into strips about 2-inches wide. Sew the strips together, right-side facing in, then turn the reulting tube so it is right-side out. Sew one end of the tube to the inside of the waist of the jeans on one side (Hold them up to you to see what is half-way around if you have to.) Then sew the other end of the strip to the other-side of the waist. Ta Da! You have a carry bag!

It won't be the prettiest thing, but it should look cool, and you'll still be able to use all the pockets. If you are actually going to use it to tote around stuff, make sure you go over the seams about a half-dozen times. Unless you know how to make reinforced seams (where you turn the seam over and sew over it) it still won't carry anything too heavy. If you have the skills, you could line it, which would make it sturdier.

Also if you have the skills, you could trim the leg openings with fringe for a little extra bling.

Hope this helps.